The few reviews for this film don't describe it very well, so I'll take a shot. "The Gospel of Mark" is a movie, but it's also the literal reading of that New Testament book. There is a narrator, and much in the style of the film "Babe," he describes the action on the screen as you watch it unfold. And not just describes it, but actually reads the Gospel of Mark. So yes, the film contains the entire book of Mark being read by the narrator as the action unfolds over two hours. I don't think I've ever seen that before.
This does give it one huge upside - you can't say it's not biblical or it's not 'true to the book' - it absolutely is true to the book. It is the book! The downside - and I don't think it's much of one, really - is that even though there are actors in the film, it's really the narrator who speaks for them. You see Jesus and the other biblical figures played by actors, and they speak, but not in any language you can understand. The narrator speaks over them. In a way, it's like listening to an audiobook, but also watching it portrayed on screen at the same time.
In the DVD extras I learned that all four gospels were filmed simultaneously, and the same actors were used for all four. So in addition to this film, there are three more - the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. A pretty ambitious project. Certain filmed scenes are likely used for multiple productions, if they fit a given book's narrative, but there were also times where a certain event only appeared in one book, so then those scenes would be unique to just that film.
Also on the DVD, you are given two choices for the narration. You can choose either the New International Version for the narrator to read, or the Kings James version. There are different voice actors for the two versions.
So if you are looking for 'the most accurate" version of the Jesus story, look no further. As this is a literal reading of Mark, you can't get more accurate than this. And not only accurate, but surprisingly well done, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes.
This does give it one huge upside - you can't say it's not biblical or it's not 'true to the book' - it absolutely is true to the book. It is the book! The downside - and I don't think it's much of one, really - is that even though there are actors in the film, it's really the narrator who speaks for them. You see Jesus and the other biblical figures played by actors, and they speak, but not in any language you can understand. The narrator speaks over them. In a way, it's like listening to an audiobook, but also watching it portrayed on screen at the same time.
In the DVD extras I learned that all four gospels were filmed simultaneously, and the same actors were used for all four. So in addition to this film, there are three more - the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John. A pretty ambitious project. Certain filmed scenes are likely used for multiple productions, if they fit a given book's narrative, but there were also times where a certain event only appeared in one book, so then those scenes would be unique to just that film.
Also on the DVD, you are given two choices for the narration. You can choose either the New International Version for the narrator to read, or the Kings James version. There are different voice actors for the two versions.
So if you are looking for 'the most accurate" version of the Jesus story, look no further. As this is a literal reading of Mark, you can't get more accurate than this. And not only accurate, but surprisingly well done, too. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
8/10. Would I watch again (Y/N)?: Yes.
